America began in Historic Jamestowne. It was here, on a small island in the James river, that the first permanent English settlers landed on May 13 1607, fully 13 years before the Mayflower pilgrims set up the Plymouth colony in Massachusetts. This modest settlement later went on to serve as the capital of the state of Virginia for almost a century. It is the birthplace of a nation.

And when Terrence Malick was scouting locations for The New World, his new film about Jamestown's early settlers and the Virginia Native Americans, he needed to look no further than where the events actually happened 400 years ago.

Starring Colin Farrell, Christian Bale and Christopher Plummer, the film tells the story of Captain John Smith, John Rolfe and the Native American princess, Pocahontas. Many of the scenes were shot right here on the island, and there is much to absorb both for the historian and the film buff.

I wandered along the Loop Road, which does a figure of eight around the island, to the exact spot where a furious John Smith (played by Farrell) was dragged from the water and captured by the Native Americans. The island is flat and marshy, with twisting creeks and inlets, swaying reeds and tall, coarse grass and ancient forest. There are dramatic views across the James river and the scenery looks much as it would have done four centuries ago. I got to Black Point at the eastern end of the island and, apart from the tarmac loop road, there was little to suggest that we were in the 21st century.

The foundations of the original Jamestown stockade have only recently been identified and excavated and the site is a working archaeological dig. The public are encouraged to walk around it and to engage with the archaeologists, and I found myself chatting to Dr Bill Kelso, head of the dig and historical consultant on The New World.

"This is America's hometown," he said excitedly. "Forget the movie for a moment, excellent though it is, for this is where it all really happened. We have nothing else like this in the US and what we are unearthing is amazingly rich."

Dr Kelso walked me over to the building where the finds are stored. We approached a long box covered by a Union flag and I lifted one corner of the flag to reveal a skeleton underneath. "We weren't sure who he was," whispered Dr Kelso, "but from the manner of his burial I surmised that he was important and realised that he was probably Benjamin Gosnold, captain of the Godspeed. The Church of England gave us permission to exhume a descendant of his in Suffolk for DNA testing and we've just had the results. It's him."

About a mile upriver is Jamestown Settlement, a working reproduction, complete with costumed re-enactors (many of whom worked as extras on The New World), of the Historic Jamestowne stockade and village.

Two heavily built, buckskin-clad, Powhatans were seated at a small camp fire, chipping away at some stone arrowheads. They seemed oblivious to me and the other tourists, and I moved closer to watch them work. They weren't happy. "This jerkin is way too tight," muttered one as he chipped away. "I'm getting chafed all over." His companion nodded understandingly. "As soon as my shift's over, I'm going straight round to talk to wardrobe."

I left them to their sartorial concerns and made my way down to the harbour and the Riverfront Discovery Area. Riding at anchor were three exact replicas of the vessels that brought the colonists here, the Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery. All three were used extensively in the film, and visitors are shown around by sailors in 17th-century costume. The ships were obviously built for 17th-century-sized people and are appallingly cramped.

Jamestown forms part of Virginia's "Historic Triangle" along with Yorktown and Williamsburg. The exquisitely restored Williamsburg was the state capital between 1699 and 1780 and it was here that George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry and others talked of liberty, independence and personal freedom, leading, ultimately, to America's Declaration of Independence. Yorktown, of course, is the site of the British army's decisive defeat under General Cornwallis in 1781.

I spread the map out on the bonnet of the hire car to plot my route. "Can I help?" asked the driver of the car parked next to mine. He pointed me in the direction of Williamsburg before starting to describe the route to Yorktown. "I'm stopping at Williamsburg," I told him.

"Quite right!" he laughed. "You've seen where you guys started the States, why distress yourself by seeing where it all went pear-shaped?"

· The New World is on general release from yesterday.

Getting there

If booked online before January 31, British Airways (0870 8509850, ba.com) has Heathrow-Washington DC flights from £267.80 return inc tax.